Bedtime Stories
by SerenaYoru
Summary: Nightlight has never had to sleep before, sleep had always been a realm that he couldn't go to. Luckily, Katherine is there to help. Pure Bedtime Stories fluff. Set after the battle to get Katherine back, but before everyone goes to sleep.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I totally, totally ship Bedtime Stories, and I have been wanting to write a story, be it a oneshot, tentative oneshot, or a full-blown series for them. Note: I do not own the cover image, I found it on deviantArt, but that was a while ago and I couldn't figure out how to contact the artist. I mean no disrespect, the photo was just perfect for this and inspired the ending of this.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, not the Guardians of Childhood, nor Rise of the Guardians, I own only the plot, a copy of the movie and all the current books, and my belief. Set after the battle to get Katherine back, but before everyone falls asleep.**

Third Person POV:

Bedtime, sleeping, none of these were new to Nightlight in one way, but a whole other universe in another.

He had never been _able_ to sleep before, but that mean he wasn't acquainted with it. Sleep was the realm that Prince, who was now_Tsar_, Lunar had been in whenever he had guarded him. He had sung a lullaby to the prince in order to _keep_ him in that place. Sleep was the land that his Katherine went to that he could not follow her to. And dreams, and subsequently sleep, were the realm of the Sandman, who had upon greeting the others with the joyous news that Katherine was safe had insisted that they call him Sandy. It fit him.

But he himself had never slept, he had only watched others do so. Now, he was being introduced to the rituals and patterns of bedtime and be trained in the art of falling asleep, mostly by Sandy, the others chimed in.

He had gone through the whole schedule, and now Katherine was taking him to his room.

"The Yetis prepared it for you, it's nice, a little bare, but you'll be able to fill it up with things over time." Katherine said as she led him inside the room.

It _was_ nice, with soft white walls, large windows that he could easily exit and enter from, and something that Katherine said that North called a skylight, which was basically a huge window in the ceiling that covered almost all of it. With both the skylight and the huge windows on the east and west walls, the light of the sun and that of his old friend the Moon could always be seen.

Now, Katherine was turning to go, saying something about telling North that he liked the room when he called to her, mentally, to stay, not go.

She stopped, turned around and smiled. "Alright, I'll stay, though we'd better be careful or North will have your head," she joked.

He tried to relax sitting next to Katherine on one of the window seats, but he couldn't. He was tired, but not the type of tired where he could just fall instantly to sleep as soon as he stopped moving and going places, especially since Katherine was right here.

Suddenly, he thought of an idea to make him tired. Sending his thoughts to Katherine, he asked her to read to him. Parents and Mr. Qwerty back in Santoff Clausen were always using her stories to lull children to sleep, maybe it would work for him?

And even if it didn't it was a good excuse to have Katherine stay with him for just a little longer.

She heard him, and smiled before running to go get a copy of her stories. The Yetis had been making copies of them, and North had made a special one just for her.

When she came back she settled right next to him, leaning on him a bit, (Not that he minded, or wanted her to lean on him some more.), and balanced the book on both their laps before she began to read to him.

She read the stories of their adventures in the Himalayas, the ones at the Earths Core, and Pun Jam Hyloo. By the end of the last story, Nightlight was ready to sleep, (That bed looked wonderful.), before he realized that Katherine had beat him to it.

Now leaning fully on him, her head rested on his shoulder, her breathing was gentle and regular, and her eyes were closed. She looked exhausted, despite the sleep she had had for so long, and he could see that she had probably been putting off rest for fear of nightmares. What she had been through meant that Pitch had cursed her to suffer nightmares, not forever he hoped, but certainly for a few months.

Acting on impulse, Nightlight gently closed her book with its stories and illustrations of their adventures, gently picked her up bridal-style, pulled back the covers on his bed, laid her down and pulled the covers back over her before going to the chest where Katherine had said there were more blankets and comforters, took some and laid them out on the floor next to the foot of the bed, placed his staff on the hooks made especially for it, said goodnight to the Moonbeam, and went to go lie down.

When the Moon Clipper rose to it's peak, the Tsar, who Nightlight had sung to sleep every night eons ago, found his kind gaze falling upon two sleeping not-quite-children, and he smiled.

All was well, as far as he knew.

**A/N: By the end of this I have decided to continue this to at least a chapter two, but this may be becoming the Bedtime Stories oneshot and mini-arc collection that I've been wanting to write for a ****_long_**** time**.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey everyone, it's me, SerenaYoru! And I know some of you will be wondering why there's no cover picture. I am here to explain: I decided not to use it and not get meself into trouble despite the disclaimer, and instead decided that I am going to work on a fanart of my own for this, (Note: I am a perfectionist, so there's a good chance that the art won't be up until ****_long_****after this story is done.).**

**So, I shall make the disclaimer and get it over with,**

**Disclaimer, I own nothing, not the Guardians of Childhood, nor Rise of the Guardians, I own only the plot, a copy of the movie and all the current books, and my belief. Set after the battle to get Katherine back, but a couple of hours after people went to bed.**

**Warning: Hurt/Comfort fluff galore.**

2) Third Person POV:

Nightlight awoke the sounds of muffled crying.

It took him a second to remember where he was, ( A new sensation.), and once he did, the crying made him feel like he was being torn in two.

There was only one other person in the room that could cry, and that person was the one that he never wanted to.

Katherine's hunched shape could be made out in light of the Moon, shaking as she attempted to get the tears under her control.

Standing up, he hurried to her side, there was no doubt about it now, the nightmare plagued sleep he had only just saved her from had not left her unmarked. Those nightmares would haunt her for months.

Asking her with his thoughts what was wrong, he held her close and rubbed her back as she sobbed into his chest.

Shakily she replied,

"I-I had a n-nightm-are. And i-in it, y-you all were...d-dead. Tooth w-was pierced with an a-arrow that looked l-like the o-one that n-nearly killed her p-parents, Bunnymund was st-stabbed w-with a l-lead spear, Ombric w-was a crushed ch-china d-doll, North h-had b-been stabbed in the same s-spot as he h-had been in the Battle a-at the E-earths Core, I think Sandy had ex-exploded, there was just s-sand e-everywhere. And then th-there was y-you."

Nightlight asked mentally what had happened to him, it had to have been bad, for she sobbing even harder than before, and clinging to his chest as tight as se could.

After a minute she answered,

"You were n-not gl-glowing, and I c-couldn't see h-how you d-died, but th-there was this t-terrorfied l-look on y-your face. A-and I c-couldn't a-anything!"

Nightlight was shocked, how could his kind story-telling girl's mind be able to produce such a horror, when he realized that Katherine was not going to back to sleep without help.

So, using his rarely-used voice, he sang an old lullaby, one that he had sung to the Tsar as a child and that he would sing now to chase away nightmares.

_"Nightlight,_

_ Shine bright,_

_ Sweet dreams I bestow,_

_ Sleep tight,_

_ All night,_

_ Forever I will glow."_

And by the end of the song Katherine was quiet, her fear chased away as the song soothed her.

Laying her back down, he placed a feather-light kiss on her forehead as he turned to go lie back down on his pile of blankets before Katherine's hand caught his wrist.

Looking at her wide grey eyes, she said,

"Don't go."

Unable to deny her anything when she was so scared, he simply replied with his voice,

"Wait."

Before turning and grabbing a blanket. After that he lay down on bed, ( On top of the covers mind you, North was going to enough trouble deal with as it was.), covered both of them with the quilt, and grasped her hand.

Within seconds Katherine slid into the land of dreams, and, listening to the gentle sounds of her breathing, he joined her.

And the Moon smiled on.

**A/N: Told you, fluff. I luff it. Ok, if you guys want more, you are in luck, another chapter has hit me. Note: To those of you who read all of Sandman and the War of Dreams, the bit in the end with Pitch is not discovered immediately. A good villain will wait until the time is right to enact a plan, e.g. Wait until the heroes are relaxed and, POUNCE! So that's how I'm fitting the next chapter in. Sayonara, SerenaYoru.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Ok, I know for a fact that I have at least one reader from my story "A Winters Night" here, and I want to explain why I haven't updated it. If you aren't from it, feel free to both skip this bit and/or read the story. I'd love it if you do. **

**Guys, I am super sorry, I really meant to update it, but I had to go see my counselor the day before my baby brother Mal went in for an MRI, we were checking for very, very bad brain damage. We got the results back Tuesday, the MRI picked up no brain damage, thankfully. Basically, stuff happened and I had to move that story to the back burner for a little while. I am so sorry, I am going to work on it and, hopefully, update today. **

**Alright this is where I talk about this story real quick:**

**1) I am going to have so much ****_FUN_**** writing this! :**

**2) Warning for fluff.**

**3) Please vote on whether or not you all would like me to turn this into a Bedtime Stories oneshot and mini-arc collection, I'll have the poll in my profile.**

**And now, the dreaded disclaimer,**

**Disclaimer: Disclaimer, I own nothing, not the Guardians of Childhood, nor Rise of the Guardians, I own only the plot, a copy of the movie and all the current books, and my belief. Set the day after the battle to get Katherine back.**

Third Person POV:

Nicolas St. North, E. Aster Bunnymund, Toothianna, Ombric, and Sanderson Mansnoozie were headed to go check on Katherine. It was the sort of thing that you would expect them to do, her having just been freed from a nightmare without end.

They had not all started out together, they had simply sensed that the time was upon them to go to Katherine and Nightlight and joined up on the way. And when they felt the urge to go to Nightlight's room, they simply assumed that she had awoken early and went to see her closest friend.

However, in this universe, you _really_ shouldn't assume.

The sight that greeted them was _not_Katherine and Nightlight talking, no no, it was something much more unexpected. Katherine and Nightlight were both asleep on Nightlight's bed, her under the covers, him under a hastily laid-out quilt that was spread over the two of them. And the fact that they were holding hands was not unnoticed either.

The reactions were as expected, North looked about ready to kill Nightlight, Ombric much the same, Tooth had her hands over her mouth, Bunny merely raised an eyebrow, and Sandy did the logical thing: Took in the others reactions and reviewed the dreamsand that had visited the two during the night.

After the expected chaos, Sandy proceed to grab Nightlight's staff and slam the butt of it on the ground, consequently getting the attention he needed.

He then told them, via dreamsand shapes above his head, that he was going to knock them out and show them what had happened the night before when the Moonbeam in it's diamond began to flash.

Surprised, all leaned into to hear the Moonbeams tale,

_"My Nightlight boy has done no wrong, he has instead helped his story-girl when she is alone and scareds. He comes to room with his story-girl and asks her to read to him, he is tired but knows not how to sleep. His story-girl goes and gets the stories of the battles that we has had. She reads to him and falls to sleep. My boy picks her up and puts her to bed, puts me in my place, and lays on the ground at the foot of the bed. But later she wakes, is all scareds. Her crying awakes my boy. He holds her as she tells him of the nightmare bad she had, and he knows that she is not unaffected by the nightmare sleep. So he sings to her and lays her down, but she asks him not to leave. So my Nightlight boy gets a blanket and lays next to her, and holds her hand, and they sleep unafeared all the night long."_

After the Moonbeam finishes it's tale, the others look at one another before coming to two silent conclusions,

1) They should leave before they wake up the two. And,

2) There are bets to be placed.

**A/N: Fluff in unconventional manners but,****_IT'S LATE_**** when I wrote this. I'll think that I'll do a fourth chapter, I am seriously thinking that this is ****_NOT_**** going to stay in the -Insert one to ten-shot category here, I really don't.**

**Sayonara, SerenaYoru. **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Yep, this is SO gonna end up a series if I'm not careful. Also, sorry I didn't update "A Winters Night" on Wednesday, I got distracted by watching Sword Art Online, playing Minecraft, doing a crap-ton of laundry yesterday, working on my avatar, posting the chapter before this, trying to write the-chapter-that-I-didn't-post-yesterday, setting up a poll, which I think I didn't do correctly, updating my profile, you know, stuff. I really am sorry, but this is a different story and I'm done talking about "A Winters Night" right now. So let me talk about this story right now,**

**1) I was right, last chapter was fun. **

**2) I am so gonna embarrass Nightlight and Katherine here soon, oh, crap, now this is a ****_FIVESHOT_****!**

**3) Sorry about any OOCness in this chapter or the previous chapters, I loaned my books to a friend and wasn't able to check the chapters and make sure everyone was in character.**

**5) Warning for fluff. Y'all KNOW how much I luff it, (And I live where saying "Y'all" is perfectly normal.).**

**Disclaimer,**

**Disclaimer: Disclaimer, I own nothing, not the Guardians of Childhood, nor Rise of the Guardians, I own only the plot, a copy of the movie and all the current books, and my belief. Set the day after the battle to get Katherine back.**

Third Person POV:

Nightlight awoke slowly, gently. It was nice to wake up this way, much nicer than waking up and realizing that Katherine was crying from nightmares and-wait, was Katherine alright?

He had to check.

So, abandoning the pleasant way of waking up, he nearly bolted awake, thinking a lot of thoughts that all basically equaled to, "Did Katherine have another nightmare and I wasn't there for her?"

But no, she had slept long and well, and was still sleeping in fact.

Watching her sleep was something that felt as natural to Nightlight as walking or breathing, it was something he did without much thought.

Laying back down gently, as to not disturb her, he grasped her hand again. Hearing her soft breathes was something that was relaxed him unlike any other sound, and while he listened to her breathing, he marveled at how well their hands fit together, like puzzle pieces.

Lying next to Katherine for what could have been hours, (In reality it was only about forty minutes.), he waited for her to wake up.

And she did. Yawning and resettling before realizing who was lying next to her and bolting upright, dragging him with her, because when she realized that he was laying next to her, her grasp on his hand tightened. A lot.

Wincing, he waited a minute to make sure that she was alright.

It took her a moment before she seemed to remember last night.

"Oh," she said, "We, umm, didn't _do_ anything last night, right?"

Chuckling silently, he shook his head no, and replied that if they had, he probably would be on the run from the others.

Blushing she replied, "Good, not that I-I,"

And there he cut her off, smirking of course, before gently kissing her forehead. That seemed to work for both of them.

After a spell of them both just lying there listening to the other breathe, she whispered to him,

"Thank you."

Confused, he asked, silently, "What for?"

"For letting me sleep on your bed instead of waking me up and asking me where my room was so you could me there."

A little surprised, he replied that he'd simply done what anyone would have done.

She just smiled, before continuing,

"And you held me when I was afraid, you didn't think I was insane or something because of what I dreamed of, you sang me back to sleep, you _used your voice_, and you stayed with me when asked even though there was a good chance that we could have gotten scolded by one of the others or...worse."

He blinked, before silently responding that all he had done was something that anyone would have done had they the means. If she had asked him to go to the Moon Clipper to find a specific grain of dreamsand he would have done that for her.

She simply replied,

"I'd like to repay that favor someday."

"No need. It was worth it all just to see you smile."

And the look on her face when she realized that he'd spoken, _again_, just for her, was almost better than when he gently pressed his lips to hers.

He never wanted stop having Katherine read him to sleep.

**A/N: I feel that that would be a great place to end this story, but I also REALLY want to continue it, so I shall leave the decision to you all.**

**Sayonara, SerenaYoru**.

Sayonara!


End file.
